South Carolina State Parks
The South Carolina State Parks Include Hunting Island State Park Which Is A 5,000 Acre Island Off The Coast
There are currently twenty six State Parks in South Carolina which is a beautiful state in the Deep South of America.
Originally all part of the one colony of Carolina, in 1729 it split into two separate states for a number of political reasons.
|
To See A List Of South Carolina State Parks Just Click Here |
The state received its name from King Charles 11 of Great Britain who named it in honor of his father, King Charles 1. Carolina derives from the Latin name for Charles which is Carolus. King Charles gave a charter to settle the area to a number of British aristocrats as a reward for helping him recover the throne of Britain. |
Wonderful Old Colonial Style Houses In Charleston
(Photo By Amatern)
After the division into North Carolina and South Carolina in 1729 the part that became South Carolina quickly prospered.
This was due to the fertility of the land on the coastal plain where rich crops could be easily grown and also the presence of excellent sea ports. The harbors at Charleston and Georgetown enabled merchants to trade all over the world and many fortunes were made.
Geographically, South Carolina is made up of five distinct areas. They are the Coastal Plain, the Sandhills, the Fall Line, Piedmont and the Blue Ridge.
The Coastal Plain contains a number of river estuaries and expanses of salt marsh and included in this region are the Barrier Islands just off the coast.
This flat region also has one unique feature. These are the Carolina Bays, also found in North Carolina, their origins have never really been satisfactorily explained.
South Carolina State Parks in this region include Hunting Island State Park, which is on a 5,000 acre Barrier Island, Myrtle Beach State Park and Huntington Beach State Park.
Sunrise On Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Further inland is the second of the areas which is the Sandhills. These are ancient sand dunes which were once part of the coast millions of years previously. Santee State Park and Sesquicentennial State Park are examples of the South Carolina State Parks to be found here.
Next is the Piedmont which is a hilly region that was once a huge mountain range before millions of years of erosion had its effect. Early settlers to the Carolinas tried, unsuccessfully, to farm here but now it is mainly reforested. Kings Mountain State Park is in the Piedmont region.
On the southern edge of the Piedmont is the Fall Line. This is where the rivers fall out of the hills and down onto the flatter plains. It is at the fall line that the rivers cease to be navigable upstream.
The first settlers built their mills here to harness the power of the water and consequently a number of towns and cities sprang up, including the state capital, Columbia.
A Misty Dawn In The Blue Ridge
The last of the five regions is the Blue Ridge which is an escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains and part of the southern Appalachians.
The highest point in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain at 3,560 feet, is located here. It is in the Blue Ridge that South Carolina State Parks such as Caesars Head State Park, Jones Gap State Park and Oconee State Park are to be found.
Other interesting state parks in South Carolina include Andrew Jackson State Park which was established in 1952 to honor the only president to be born in the state.
There is also Paris Mountain State Park which is located on land that the Cherokee tribe sold cheaply to an early settler called Richard Pearis.
Finally, there is Poinsett State Park which honors Joel Robert Poinsett the first American ambassador to Mexico and the botanist after whome the Poinsettia plant is named.
Here is a list of South Carolina State Parks
|
|
This is a county map of South Carolina -
